</s>File #: 602-HQ-116396 Serial Scope: 11416, 1148-1151, 1163-1156, 1157, 1158-1165 Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 9932 (44 USC) 21701 Note(N.W. NV-87896 Docid: 32899550 Page 1

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI interactions with the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSC) regarding investigations into Communist Party USA (CPUSA) activities, informants like Stanley David Levison and Gary Thomas Rowe, and related intelligence operations. Levison is identified as a secret CPUSA member involved in Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) activities, including financial support for civil rights initiatives and communication with Martin Luther King Jr., who was described as a "wholehearted Marxist." The FBI records include surveillance of Levison’s financial transactions, his role in organizing CPUSA infiltration into SCLC leadership, and monitoring informants like Hunter O’Dell. Gary Thomas Rowe, an FBI informant, is linked to KKK activities in Alabama, including plans for violent actions against civil rights activists. The SSC requested materials on these individuals and operations, prompting FBI responses involving document classification, administrative procedures, and discussions about intelligence oversight. References include the Warren Commission and FBI wiretapping of journalists like Hanson Baldwin, with notes on leaks of classified information.  

Key People:  
- **Stanley David Levison**: Secret CPUSA member involved in SCLC activities, financial support for civil rights initiatives, and communication with Martin Luther King Jr.  
- **Martin Luther King Jr.**: Described as a "wholehearted Marxist" by the FBI; linked to CPUSA infiltration efforts through Levison.  
- **Gary Thomas Rowe**: FBI informant involved in KKK activities in Alabama, including plans for violent actions against civil rights activists.  
- **Hunter O’Dell**: Informant linked to CPUSA and SCLC operations, monitored by the FBI.  
- **John Doar**: Assistant Attorney General who coordinated with Rowe on civil rights cases, including the Viola Liuzzo murder investigation.  
- **Frank Church**: Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSC), requested materials on Levison, King, and other informants.  
- **J. Edgar Hoover**: FBI Director whose 1958 briefing to the President and Cabinet was referenced in SSC requests for declassified records.  
- **Nicholas Katzenbach**: Attorney General who provided a memorandum to the SSC regarding FBI operations.  

Key Locations:  
- **New York City**: FBI headquarters and SCLC offices; location of financial records related to Levison and CPUSA activities.  
- **Atlanta**: SCLC headquarters, where Levison’s role in civil rights initiatives was documented.  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Site of KKK activities monitored by the FBI, including Rowe’s involvement in planning violent actions.  
- **Washington, D.C.**: FBI and SSC offices; location of administrative discussions on document classification and intelligence oversight.  
- **Chicago, Illinois**: Focus of FBI surveillance during the 1968 Democratic National Convention (DNC) for potential disruptions by militant groups.  

Key Events:  
- **Surveillance of Levison’s financial transactions** and CPUSA ties, including his role in funding SCLC activities.  
- **FBI monitoring of CPUSA infiltration into SCL, leadership**, with records detailing communication between Levison and King.  
- **Investigation into KKK activities by the FBI**, including Rowe’s involvement in planning violent actions against civil rights activists in Alabama.  
- **SSC requests for declassified materials** on informants like Levison, Rowe, and Martin Luther King Jr., prompting FBI responses involving document classification and administrative procedures.  
- **Wiretapping of journalists** by the FBI, including New York Times reporter Hanson Baldwin and Newsweek Magazine reporters, with notes on leaks of classified information.  
- **FBI coordination with the Warren Commission** on civil rights cases, such as the Viola Liuzzo murder investigation.  
- **SSC hearings on counterintelligence investigations**, referencing FBI operations like COINTELPRO and wiretapping activities.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted surveillance, monitoring informants, and managing intelligence operations related to CPUSA, SCLC, and KKK activities.  
- **U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSC)**: Requested declassified materials on informants, FBI operations, and counterintelligence efforts; held hearings on intelligence oversight.  
- **Communist Party USA (CPUSA)**: Levison’s secret membership and his role in infiltrating SCLC leadership were central to FBI records.  
- **Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)**: Levison’s financial support for civil rights initiatives and communication with King were documented by the FBI.  
- **Ku Klux Klan (KKK)**: Investigated by the FBI through informants like Gary Thomas Rowe, with plans for violent actions against civil rights activists.  
- **Department of Justice**: Coordinated with the FBI on civil rights cases, including the Viola Liuzzo murder investigation.

JFK Declassified Files

124-10238-10329_multirif.pdf

Document Summary

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